KALAMAZOO, MI — After two tie votes, one for the election of board chairperson and one for the vice chairperson, the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners plans to vote for new leaders again at its next meeting.
The board held its first in-person meeting since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday, Jan. 4. Elected officials met in the county commission chambers, and the hybrid meeting format also allowed people to comment via electronic means, as well as in person. The meeting was delayed for nearly an hour as county staff handled technical difficulties.
Related: Kalamazoo County commissioners begin ‘hybrid’ meetings with public attendance online and in person
Perhaps it was a sign, as the next two votes resulted in ties. Commissioner Veronica McKissack, a Democrat, did not attend the meeting Tuesday, resulting in an even 10 members in attendance.
Two Democrats on the board, Chairperson Tracy Hall and Commissioner Mike Quinn, were each nominated for the position of board chair on Tuesday.
After a round of votes, the two nominees were tied 5-5.
Hall, Fran Bruder Melgar, Monteze Morales, Tami Rey and Jen Strebs, all Democrats, voted for Hall.
Quinn, John Gisler, Jeff Heppler, Dale Shugars and Roger Tuinier voted for Quinn. All are Republicans, apart from Quinn.
Based on Roberts Rules of Order, the board held another round of voting for each candidate, which each resulted in another tie.
Vice Chair Tami Rey and Commissioner Jeff Heppler were each nominated for the position of vice chair.
After a round of votes, they tied 5-5.
Democrats Bruder Melgar, Hall, Morales, Rey and Strebs voted for Rey.
Republicans Gisler, Heppler, Shugars and Tuinier, as well as Democrat Mike Quinn, voted for Heppler.
Subsequent rounds of voting for each candidate resulted in ties as well.
The board’s legal counsel, Matt Nordfjord, explained that the election did not have to be handled at Tuesday’s meeting, and can instead be handled with a motion at the next board meeting.
The Board of Commissioners’ next meeting will take place on Jan. 18.
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